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August 1, 2018 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal — The historical candlelight movement of 2016-17 finally turned South Korea from one of the most reactionary anti-communist regimes into a normal democracy. However, the recent debate over Yemenis refugees revealed the naked face of deep-seated racism of many Koreans.

In the words of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union, one of South Korea’s largest unions:

The very fact that the top leaders of
North Korea and the U.S., two countries whose relationship has been
laced with hostility and mutual threats for the last seventy years, sat
together in one place and shared dialogue is historic and signals a new
era in which peace on the Korean Peninsula is possible. We therefore
welcome the North Korea-U.S. Summit and joint statement.

June 22, 2018 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewalreposted from In These Times — Poll after poll shows that the 51 million residents of South Korea overwhelmingly want an end to the 68-year Korean War—which the United States is still officially involved in. A recent survey found that 88.4 percent of South Koreans support the April 27 joint peace declaration by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in. And 81 percent of South Koreans expressed optimism about the Trump-Kim summit.

Despite widespread concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump would torpedo an historic opportunity for peace—including through his repeated threats to annihilate the entire Korean Peninsula with nuclear weapons—this worst-case scenario has not yet come to pass. When North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Trump in Singapore on June 12 and etched out a four-point agreement, the reaction in South Korea was largely a sigh of relief. “Koreans see the Singapore summit not just as another sensational episode in the story of Donald Trump but as a step away from a sixty-eight-year-old unfinished war,” writes E. Tammy Kim for The New Yorker.

April 27, 2018 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from International Strategy Center — It is important to identify factors behind workers’ self-management (WSM) companies’ success that can be applied to other cases: empowerment of workers through shared responsibilities, decision-making, and ownership; education to recover workers’ autonomy; and the reinforcement of workers’ control through first-hand experience of improved working conditions. These changes taken together are part of the solution to solving the problems confronting labor today. It is our hope that our examination of workers’ self-management provides some insight into how workers have succeeded in taking control back over their work and lives.

On January 28, 2018, Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun’s historic televised revelation of sexual harassment in 2010 by a senior prosecutor stirred the rapidly spreading #MeToo movement in Korea’s judicial and cultural arts sectors. While Seo’s accusations were being investigated, revelations of sexual assault spread into the culture and entertainment sectors. This soon prompted the supporting hashtag #WithYou. Though the #MeToo movement marked a specific advancement in the fight against sexual violence, it is also part of a larger historical movement.

February 6, 2018 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal — This winter has been extremely cold in South Korea, with temperatures regularly reaching well below -10oC – perhaps another sign of climate change. One of the coldest places has been Pyeongchang, a small town in Gangwon Province, which is just below the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and is set to host the Winter Olympics between February 9 to 25.

December 3, 2017 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from International Strategy Center — The
North Korean nuclear conflict started in 1990. Few people are aware that
before taking out its nuclear card, North Korea had approached the
United States in earnest. As Communism crumbled and the Soviet Union
established diplomatic relations with North Korea’s southern
counterpart, the country’s leaders couldn’t help but feel insecure. In
an attempt to gain political recognition as an independent state, North
Korea signed abasic North-South agreement, a denuclearization agreement (preventing the development of nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula) and even joined the United Nations, all by 1991.

The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people, and all state authority shall emanate from the people.” – Article 1 of the Republic of Korea Constitution

November 29, 2017 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from International Strategy Center — A democracy is founded upon the consent and power of the people. Its fundamental compact is the constitution which establishes the rules and government that shape and determine the lives of its people. Yet, rarely is a constitution drawn up by them or with their consultation. Rather, it is done by a political regime mediating the interests of the ruling class. The world’s first completely written constitution was established in 1789. To “protect the minority of the opulent against the majority,” it created the United States Senate [1].

June 13, 2017 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewalreposted from Reports from the Economic Front — US-North Korean relations remain very tense, although the threat of a
new Korean War has thankfully receded. Still the US government remains
determined to tighten economic sanctions on North Korea and continues
to plan for a military strike aimed at destroying the country’s nuclear
infrastructure. And the North for its part has made it clear that it
would respond to any attack with its own strikes against US bases in the
region and even the US itself.

This is not good, but it is important to realize that what is
happening is not new. The US began conducting war games with South
Korean forces in 1976 and it was not long before those included
simulated nuclear attacks against the North, and that was before North
Korea had nuclear weapons. In 1994, President Bill Clinton was close to
launching a military attack on North Korea with the aim of destroying
its nuclear facilities. In 2002, President Bush talked about seizing
North Korean ships as part of a blockade of the country, which is an act
of war. In 2013, the US conducted war games which involved planning
for preemptive attacks on North Korean military targets and
“decapitation” of the North Korean leadership and even a first strike
nuclear attack.

April 28, 2017 –– Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal –– At 9 am on March 10, people gathered in front of the Constitutional Court to await the court’s ruling on whether to impeach South Korean president Park Geun-hye. Two hours before the verdict was read, those gathered chanted: “The Constitutional Court should uphold Park’s impeachment!”

At the designated time of 11am, the crowd held its breath as the eight judges appeared on the large screen set up in front of the court. As acting chief Lee Jung-mi calmly read the verdict, the crowd broke out at times in cheers and at others times in groans. After 20 minutes, Lee concluded the verdict by stating that the president would be removed from office. The crowd erupted with shouts, clapping and crying.

Those that had come out onto the streets in protest had finally “impeached Park.” For the past four months we had gathered at the square to realize our demands and acted on them, creating a space for direct democracy. In winter, we planted the seeds to make fundamental changes in Korean society shouting slogans, from the impeachment of Park to the eradication of deep-rooted problems like corrupt conservative forces and the chaebols that had been reigning over our laws. As spring comes, we await the seeds to sprout, nourished by the radiance of people power.

March 12, 2017 —Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal— On March 10, at 11:22 am, Chief Justice of the
Constitutional Court Lee Jeingmi read the final sentence of the verdict,
declaring that the court had unanimously decided to dismiss President Park
Geun-hye. With that, following a 92-day trial, Park Geun-hye’s presidency was
over.

Pro-impeachment protesters present at that time in
front of the courthouse applauded the verdict, filled with a huge sense of joy
and the feeling of a moment of emancipation. On the other side, desperate
anti-impeachment protesters were deeply disappointed, resorting to verbal and
physical assaults, causing the tragic and unnecessary deaths of some poor old
people.

It was a historic moment, signifying a gigantic
political victory for the millions of people who participated in the grassroots
candlelight protests – South Korea’s indignados
– and for those who led the 134 days of consecutive mobilisations that all
together brought more than 15 million people onto the streets. Park now joins
the list of presidents ousted in disgrace; her collapse has sent nostalgia for
her father’s time in power (Park Chung-hee 1961-79) to the
dustbin of history.

February 8, 2017 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from International Strategy Center with permission — Sitting in Gwanghwamun square on December 31, the screen rapidly dialled up to 10,000,000 as it added up the number of participants in the past ten candlelight protests. Every Saturday evening for the last two months of 2016, people had come out in the streets calling for impeachment. A few weeks prior, an impeachment motion had been passed in the National Assembly by an overwhelming vote. We were saying goodbye to the year with a candlelight protest on New Year’s Eve complete with Christmas jingles about impeachment.

By Joint Action against the Oppression on Labor Books
under National Security Law

January 14, 2017 – Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal– On January 5th, a South Korean district court decided to detain Lee Jin-young, coordinator of Labor Books, a book-sharing web site, in violation of the notoriously draconian National Security Law. This abrupt decision is extremely shocking, considering historic candlelight protests against the political scandal of Park Geynhye government and the subsequent crisis and her impeachment.

January 5, 2016 –– Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal –– The last day of 2016 witnessed another historic moment in South Korean history: once again, a huge mobilization involving 1 million people took place, taking the total number of people mobilized in 10 successive national days of candlelight action to over 10 million. These historical mobilizations of people power have had a tremendous impact on every sphere of South Korean society and politics.

December 12, 2016 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal — On December 10, downtown Seoul was lit up by candles once again. One million people turned out for candle light rallies across the country, a day after President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. In Seoul, a huge crowd of eight hundred thousand people gathered at Gwanghwamoon Square and marched toward the Blue House (presidential palace).

A wave of historically unprecedented mobilisations by South Korean indignados forced parliament to impeach the incompetent and corrupt president. It was a significant victory for peoples power. However, in the wake of this historical triumph, the popular struggle is heading into uncertain terrains.

December 9, 2016 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal — On December 9, Parliament voted in favor of a presidential impeachment by 234 votes to 56, with 7 invalid votes and 2 abstentions. Over 30,000 protesters were present to celebrate the impeachment. The votes in favor of impeachment exceeded what was expected, though it was slightly lower than the 81% support for impeachment among public opinion.

December 6, 2016 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal— December 3 saw another mega-protest hit President Park Geun-hye’s regime, with more than 2.32 million angry South Koreans participating in the 6th national candlelight protest called in recent weeks. Concerns of a lower turn out were swept aside, with the turnout surpassing the recently set record of 2 million people for the largest mobilisation in the country's history. Protesters demanded Park’s immediate and unconditional resignation. The massive outpour of anger has put back in motion an impeachment process that Park had hoped to derail.